^ l\  I "V  i ^ 


REPORT 


■'  i. 


■“lo 


THE  CHINESE  VERSION. 


The  Committee  to  whom  it  was  referred  to  examine  and  report  in  relation 
to  the  most  proper  Chinese  term,  whereby  to  translate  the  Hebrew  and  Greek 
words  employed  in  the  Bible  for  God,  gods,  and  spirit,  respectfully  report  as 
follows : 


They  have  carefully  examined  such  publications  and  written  documents 
prepared  in  China  on  this  subject,  as  they  had  access  to.  of  which  the  following 
is  a list : 


1.  Dr.  Medhurst’s  Inquiry,  published  in  1848. 

2.  Bp.  Boone’s  Essay,  of  the  same  year. 

3.  Dr.  Medhurst’s  Reply  to  the  Essay,  of  the  same  year. 

4.  Dr.  Legge’s  publication  in  defence  of  the  use  of  Shaugte. 

5.  Rev.  Mr.  Doty’s  on  the  proper  term  to  be  employed,  advocating 
Shangte. 

6.  A printed  letter,  signed  by  Drs.  Boone  and  Bridgman,  addressed  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 

7.  Several  manuscript  letters,  and  among  them  one  of  forty  pages,  from 
Bp.  Boone  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brigham.  And  lastly, 

8.  Seventy-eight  pages  of  the  Bp.’s  Defence  of  his  Essay,  published  in  the 
Chinese  Repository ; the  remaining  sheets  of  this  publication  not  having  yet 
reached  this  country.  All  these  productions,  except  the  first  three,  are  of  the 
present  year. 

In  a former  report  on  this  subject,  made  to  the  Committee  on  Versions, 
and  accepted  by  the  Board  of  Managers  at  their  meeting  in  March,  1849,  the 
sub-committee,  by  whom  it  was  prepared,  remarked,  that  they  had  access  to  no 
other  sources  of  information  than  the  first  two  of  the  above  mentioned  publica- 
tions ; consequently  their  report  was  less  definite  than  under  other  circum- 
stances it  might  have  been.  They  were,  therefore,  compelled  to  say,  “ that 
after  a careful  examination  of  those  productions,  they  had  not  been  able  to  form 


2 


REPORT. 


jjl^ikci'ded  opinion  as  to  ■wiiich  of  the  words  or  phrases  proposed  ought  to  be 
adopted  f’  feeling  jj^ry  properly,  that,  in  the  predicament  in  which  they  were 
placed,  “ it  would  be  presumption  in  them  to  express  a decision  in  favour  of 
any  one  of  the  terms'^  in  question,  “ to  the  absolute  exclusion  of  the  others.” 
The  striking  discrepancy,  both  of  statement  and  argument,  appearing  in  “ those 
works,  left  them  no  other  alternative.”  Access  to  the  other  productions  which 
have  subsequenfi^'  appeared,  would  now,  most  probably  enable  them  to  speak 
with  more  decision. 

In  making  such  use  of  these  documents  as  might  prepare  your  committee 
>0  form  any  settled  judgment  on  the  merits  of  the  controversy,  they  have  ex- 
perienced no  little  embarrassment.  This  has  arisen  in  part,  from  the  fact  that 
they  have  been  obliged  to  take  many  of  the  statements  of  the  respective  writers 
on  their  own  authority,  not  being  in  a condition  to  subject  them  to  the  test  of 
personal  knowledge  or  observation ; and  in  part  also  from  the  extraordinary 
change  of  opinion  shown  in  the  same  authors  at  different  times  and  in  different 
circumstances.  Your  committee  feel  bound  to  say,  that  those  gentlemen,  who, 
for  some  years  past,  have  advocated  the  use  of  Shangle,  or  some  other  term, 
in  opposition  to  Shin,  (for  several  have  been  proposed,)  did,  themselves,  during 
many  years,  employ  this  very  word  to  express  Gorf,  whether  true  or  false; 
whereas,  the  defenders  of  Shin,  have  invariably  maintained  that  this  is  the 
only  word  in  the  language  which  can  properly  be  employed,  and  have  unwa- 
veringly adhered  to  this  view,  ever  since  they  were  led  to  abandon  the  use  of 
Shangte,  which  they  found,  when  they  entered  on  their  missionary  labours,  had 
already  been  substituted  in  place  of  the  earlier  employed  Shin.  Your  commit- 
tee could  not  but  think,  too,  that  the  subject  of  discussion  had  been  somewhat 
embarrassed  by  much  learned  disquisition,  thereby  involving  it  within  the 
mazes  of  Chinese  metaphysics  and  philosophy,  not  to  say  unintelligible  logo- 
machy ; while  the  development  required  would  rather  seem  to  be  the  general 
feeling  of  the  popular  mind,  and  the  common  usage  of  the  great  masses  of  the 
nation. 

The  various  Chinese  terms  which  have  been  proposed  as  best  suited  to 
translate  the  original  words  for  God,  in  the  Bible,  are  Shangte,  Te,  T’een  Te, 
T’een  Choo,  Aloho  or  Eloah,  transferred  from  the  Hebrew,  and  Shin.  We 
submit  for  your  consideration,  a few  brief  remarks  on  each  of  these. 

I.  Shangte. — Your  committee  cannot  recommend  the  use  of  this  term,  for 
the  following  reasons : 

1 . It  is  allowed  on  all  hands  to  mean,  either  the  Ruler  on  high,  or  the 
Supreme  Ruler.  It  is,  therefore,  rather  a title  of  office  and  authority,  than  in- 
dicative of  Deity.  Did  it  express  eternity  of  being,  it  might  be  employed  as 
L’Eternel,  in  the  French  Bibles;  but  there  is  no  proof  that  Chinese  writers 
have  ever  predicated  this  attribute  of  Shangte. 

2.  It  is  applied  by  some  to  the  five  Tes  or  rulers  of  the  five  regions  or 
quarters,  as  well  as  to  the  supreme  Te  or  ruler.  In  its  meaning  of  ruler. 


REPORT. 


3 


whether  supreme  or  inferior,  it  would  be  inadequate  to  expre.ss  the  sense  of  the 
first  commandment,  and  of  all  similar  places  in  the  Bible.  The  translation 
of  the  commandment  might  read  thus : “ And  the  Supreme  Ruler  said,  thou 
shalt  have  none  other  Supreme  Rulers  but  me.”  The  declarations  of  Isaiah* 
might  be  to  this  effect:  “There  is  no  Supreme  Ruler  beside  me;”  “I  am 
Supreme  Ruler  and  there  is  none  else.”  This  would  be  the  translation,  if  the 
highest  meaning  of  Shangte  were  adopted.  In  this  case,  the  Chinese  poly- 
theist or  idolater  need  feel  no  difficulty  in  obeying  this  law  of  God.  He  may 
willingly  grant  that  the  universe  contains  only  one  Supreme  Ruler  in  this 
sense,  and  yet  worship  hundreds  of  other  objects,  inferior  rulers  presiding  over 
distinct  departments.  If  a lower  meaning  be  attached  to  the  term  in  the  lat- 
ter clause  of  the  commandment,  it  interdicts  having  any  other  rulers  than  the 
Supreme ; a disorganizing  doctrine,  not  likely  to  meet  with  respect  or  tolera- 
tion within  the  limits  of  the  celestial  empire. 

3.  Another  reason  for  objecting  to  the  use  of  Shangte  is,  that,  however 
^ the  word  may  be  understood  as  denoting  the  Supreme  Ruler  by  the  more 

enlightened  and  philosophical  part  of  the  nation,  it  is  certainly  the  designa- 
tion of  a material  idol,  an  object  of  worship  by  the  mass  of  the  Chinese. 
And  there  is  incontrovertible  evidence,  that  the  utmost  clearness  of  exposition 
as  to  the  spirituality  of  the  divine  nature  and  attributes,  is  -wdiolly  incompe- 
tent to  draw  off  the  common  mind,  long  besotted  by  the  grossness  of  idolatrous 
usage,  from  attachment  to  and  reverence  of  this  idol,  this  material  Shangte. 
There  is  danger  even,  that  this  idolatry  not  only  will  not  be  discouraged,  but 
will  be  considered  as  positively  taught  and  inculcated  by  the  use  of  Shangte, 
as  the  Chinese  now  apply  the  word ; and  even  its  advocates  admit,  that  they 
must  accompany  the  term  with  very^careful  instruction,  to  guard  against  a 
misapprehension  of  the  meaning  which  alone  is  intended  by  them. 

4.  Another  reason  which  compels  us  to  reject  this  term  is,  that  the  Chinese 
Emperor  is  addressed  by  this  title . We  know  that  among  the  Romans,  in  a 
corrupt  and  irreligious  state  of  society,  the  title  tuum  numen,  and  others  of  a 
similar  sort,  were  applied  to  the  head  of  the  empire ; but  we  cannot  regard 
this  fact  in  any  other  light,  than  as  opposed  to  the  rightful  claim  of  the  one  only 
and  true  God,  who  declares  that  he  will  not  “ give  his  glory  to  another.”  For 
these  reasons,  ainong  others,  your  committee  cannot  recommend  the  use  of 
Shangte. 

II.  Te. — This  term  will  not  do.  It  means  ruler,  and  is  undoubtedly  a 
designation  of  office.  It  may  designate  the  Supreme  Ruler,  (and  thus  be  iden- 
tical in  meaning  with  Shangte,)  or  some  other  ruler  of  limited  power  and  dis- 
tinction. The  objection  already  urged  against  the  use  of  Shangte  in  connec- 
tion with  the  first  commandment,  and  other  similar  places  of  Scripture,  applies 
with  equal  force  to  this  term.  Moreover,  it  is  stated,  in  the  February  number 
of  the  Chinese  Repository  for  1849,  that  “no  native  writer  has  ever  exhorted 


* Isa.  ilv.  21.  ilvi.  9. 


4 


REPORT. 


his  countrymen  to  sacrifice  to  or  to  worship  any  class  of  beings  called  Te ; 
and,  on  the  contrary,  no  Christian  writer,  in  his  zeal  against  polytheism,  has 
ever  warned  his  fellow  men  in  China  against  the  worship  of  the  Tes.”  As 
“ a title  denoting  office,”  it  is  said  to  be  “ used  to  designate  some  human  em- 
peror, a hundred  or  a thousand  times  in  Chinese  books,  to  where  it  is  used 
once  to  designate  any  invisible  being.”  This,  therefore,  cannot  be  regarded  as 
a suitable  term  whereby  to  express  God. 

III.  T’een  Te. — Neither  can  your  committee  recommend  the  employment 
of  this  phrase,  which  simply  means  heaven’s  Ruler ; nor 

IV.  T’een  Choo,  which  merely  signifies  Lord  of  heaven.  The  same  reason 
applies  in  both  cases.  The  application  made  of  these  terms  is  not  universal. 
They  are  not  used  of  gods  or  objects  of  worship  in  general ; and  the  authority 
which  they  denote,  is  too  limited  in  reference  to  Jehovah,  the  true  God,  who 
is  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  universal  Ruler  of  all  things  visible  and  in- 
visible. 

V.  Aloho  or  Elo.'vh. — Your  committee  are  not  satisfied  of  the  propriety  of 
introducing  this  oriental  term.  In  the  first  place,  they  can  see  no  suffieient 
reason  for  such  a transfer.  In  the  second,  it  conveys  no  thought  to  the  Chi- 
nese mind,  and  must  be  explained  by  some  other  intelligible  word  or  phrase. 
But  if  such  an  expression  can  be  found,  it  would  undoubtedly  be  better  to  em- 
ploy it  at  once,  than  to  use  it  merely  as  an  exegetical  medium,  whereby  to  in- 
terpret a foreign  term  transferred  into  the  language.  One  of  the  authors  before 
mentioned  states  as  follows : “ The  most  common  opinion  among  those  who 
have  heard  this  name,  so  far  as  I have  learned,  is,  that  it  is  the  proper  name 
of  some  new  Buddhist  deity.  It  only  makes  the  confusion  worse  to  tell  them 
that  Aloho  is  the  name  of  Jehovah ; one  unmeaning  name  explained  by  an- 
other.” 

VI.  Shin. — This  word  appears  tobe,  on  the  whole,  the  most  suitable  term 
that  can  be  chosen.  It  is  not  exactly  what  is  desired,  but  is  probably  the  best 
word  that  the  language  affords.  The  vagueness  and  generality  with  which  it 
is  applied  constitute  the  most  important  objection  to  it.  It  seems  to  be  em- 
ployed to  denote  whatever  is  regarded  as  spiritual  or  partaking  of  spirit ; and 
is  even  used  to  express  spirit  and  energy  “in  heaven,  earth,  hills,  rivers,  wind, 
and  thunder.”  It  is  used  also  for  the  manes  of  the  dead,  elves,  fairies,  hob- 
goblins, and  almost  all  invisible  powers.  Its  original  idea  is  said  to  be,  and 
may  be,  that  of  spirit;  but  it  is  agreed,  on  all  hands,  that  this  is  the  name 
universally  applied  by  the  Chinese  to  the  multifarious  objects  of  their  worship. 
The  term  has  occasioned  much  discussion.  One  party  may,  perhaps,  consider  it 
as  expressive  of  supposed  divine  power,  or  some  other  divine  attribute ; the 
other  maintains,  that  spirituality  of  nature  and  character  is  all  that  it  indi- 
cates, and  all  that  it  predicates  of  the  beings  so  called.  Still,  it  is  a matter  of 


REPORT. 


5 


fact,  that  they  are  the  only  objects  of  Chinese  worship.  There  is  therefore  we 
think,  more  reason  to  use  this  term  in  order  to  translate  the  word  for  a Being 
or  beings  of  whom  the  most  prominent  representation  given  in  the  Bible  is, 
that  the  former  alone  ought  to  be  and  the  others  were  adored  and  worship- 
ped, than  any  other  term  that  the  language  affords.  Even  if  the  original  idea 
and  the  classical  meaning  of  the  word  be  that  of  spirit,  it  is  certain  that,  in 
common  parlance,  it  is  constantly  applied  by  the  people  to  the  material  idols 
which  they  worship,  as  well  as  to  the  beings  whom  these  idols  personate.  And 
this  is  precisely  analagous  to  the  use  of  the  word  god.  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.  For  example,  in  Gen.  xxxi.  30,  32,  wc  read,  “ Wherefore  hast 
thou  stolen  my  godsV' — “With  whomsoever  thou  findest  thy  gods  and  in 
vs.  34,  35,  the  word  is  commuted  for  “images,”  in  the  Hebrew  teraphim.  In 
Gen.  XXXV.  2,  4,  Jacob  commands  his  household  to  “put  away  the  strange 
gods"  and  accordingly,  “ they  give  unto  him  all  the  strange  gods  which 
were  in  their  hand.^’  Thus  also  the  narrative,  in  Exod.  xxxii.  1-4,  shows 
that  the  god  referred  to,  which  was  the  golden  calf,  was  made  of  golden 
rings,  while  it  was  doubtless  intended  to  represent  Jehovah,  for  it  is  said 
to  be  the  God  “'that  brought  them  out  of  Egypt,”  and  “a  proclamation 
is  issued  of  “a  feast  to  Jehovah.”  In,  I.  Sam.  v.  7,  Dagon  is  called  the 
god  of  the  people  of  Ashdod,  although  it  is  the  image  that  had  fallen  before 
the  ark  which  is  meant.  And  in  Isa.  xliv.  10,  15,  17,  the  word  god  is  used 
for  the  idol ; as  in  Acts  xix.  26,  it  denotes  the  image  of  Diana.  This  usage 
probably  arose  from  transferring  the  name  of  the  supposed  deity  to  the  visible 
and  material  representation  of  him.  But  the  reason  of  the  usage  is  of  little  or 
no  importance.  The  fact  of  the  application  of  the  term  to  such  representation 
is  undeniable ; and  in  this  respect  the  Chinese  usage  is  exactly  analagous. 
All  the  objects  of  their  worship  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  whether 
viewed  in  their  supposed  mysterious  spirituality,  or  in  its  various  material 
personations  however  contemptible  and  disgusting,  are  called  and  worshipped 
as  Shin.  This  is  a comprehensive  term.  In  a Chinese  ode,  the  speaker 
relates  the  religious  acts  he  had  performed  in  order  to  avert  a calamity  that 
threatened  ruin : — “ The  drought  is  great,  and  the  heat  intense.  We  have  not 
ceased  to  offer  sacrifices.  To  the  gods  above  [celestial],  to  the  gods  below 
[terrestrial],  we  have  made  offerings.  There  is  not  a god  [S/iin]  we  have  not 
honoured.  Hautsih  (our  ancestor)  is  not  able,  and  Shangte  does  not  come 
down  to  our  relief.”  The  Chinese  commentator  on  this  passage  puts  into  the 
speaker’s  mouth  the  following  language : — “ I seek  assistance  from  Shin. 
There  is  not  a Shin  to  whom  I have  not  exhausted  the  way  of  honouring  and 
reverencing  him.”  He  speaks  of  “ the  Shin  of  the  ancestral  temple,”  and 
says,  “of  the  Shin  saerificed  to  in  the  kiau  sacrifice,  there  is  none  more  to  be 
honoured  than  Shangte.”  Here  we  have  Shin  as  the  general  name  of  all  the 
beings  worshipped,  and  Shangte  distinguished  as  the  chief  of  this  very  class. 
To  this  we  would  beg  leave  to  add  another  quotation : — “If  the  ruler  on  high 
[or  supreme  ruler,  Shangte]  be  a god  [SAm],  then  he  cannot  be  deceived  j but 


6 


REPORT. 


if  he  be  not  a god  [S/tin],  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  pray  to  him.”  In  confir- 
mation of  the  view  naturally  drawn  from  the  language  of  these  passages,  your 
committee  request  special  attention  to  an  extract  from  a geographical  work 
very  lately  published  in  China,  by  the  lieutenant-governor  of  the  Fuh-keen 
Province,  who  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  accomplished  writers  of  the  pres- 
ent time : — 

“ In  very  early  antiquity,  Persia  and  India  both  served  the  [Ho  Shin]  god 
of  fire.  Palestine,  that  is,  Judea  and  the  countries  to  the  west  thereof,  served 
the  [Teen  Shin]  God  of  heaven.  Those  who  served  the  god  [Shin]  of  fire  wor- 
shipped the  rising  sun,  or,  igniting  wood,  they  worshipped  towards  it.  The 
people  conceived,  that  if  there  was  no  fire  to  cook  things,  they  could  not  live ; 
if  there  was  no  bright  sun,  then  in  the  universe  nothing  would  be  visible. 
The  idea  originated  from  a desire  to  recompen.se  the  root ; it  was  not  a depra- 
ved god  [Shin]. 

The  worship  of  the  [Teen  Shin]  God  of  heaven  commenced  with  Moses,  in 
the  reign  of  Wuh-ting  [B.  C.  1720-1691],  in  the  early  part  of  the  Shang  dy- 
nasty. He  pretends  that  the  [Teen  Shin]  God  of  heaven  descended  on  Mount 
Sinai,  and  delivered  the  ten  commandments  for  the  instruction  of  the  world. 
The  Sabbath  of  the  seventh  day  from  this  had  its  origin.  This  delivery  of  the 
law  was  one  thousand  and  several  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ. 

In  China,  from  the  time  of  the  five  dynasties  [A.  D.  907-959],  there  has 
been  a temple  to  the  [Yaou  Shin]  lAO  Godj  also  a temple  to  Hoo  Yaou  and 
Ho  Yaou.” 

But  it  i^  said  that  the  adoption  of  Shin  will  introduce  absurdity  into  the 
translation ; that,  in  some  cases,  where  the  utmost  degree  of  seriousness  is 
intended,  the  effect  will  be  ludicrous.*  \Ve  do  not  pretend  to  pronounce  a 
decided  judgment  in  reference  to  the  necessary  usage  of  a word,  in  a language 
of  which  w'e  are  wholly  ignorant ; but,  judging  from  the  analogy  of  other  lan- 
guages, we  presume  that  the  difficulties  which  do  really  exist  in  such  cases 
may  be  obviated  by  paraphrases.  ^Ye  are  no  advocates  for  these  as  a substi- 
tute for  translations ; but  we  have  no  doubt  that  there  are  occasions  when  it 
is  absolutely  neeessary  to  resort  to  them.  This  has  been  done  in  our  English 
translation,  and  sometimes,  we  incline  to  think,  without  sufficient  reason. 
Much  rather  is  it  allowable  in  the  case  under  consideration. 

It  is  said,  too,  that  although  Shin  is  the  word  which  designates  all  the 
objects  of  Chinese  W'orship,  still  it  does  not  designate  them  as  gods,  or  as  in 
any  degree  partaking  of  divine  character.  This  honour  is  restricted  to  one  of 
the  Tes,  and  he  is  worshipped  by  none  but  the  Emperor.  All  his  subjects, 
profanum  vulgus,  are  prohibited  from  the  enjoyment  of  this  honour  under  pain 
of  death.  ‘‘All  Shin  are  regarded  as  deriving  their  authority  from  this  great 
Te,  as  being  subject  to  him  and  accountable  to  him,  not  as  inferior  gods  to  a 
superior  god,  but  as  ministers  and  servants  to  their  sovereign  and  lord.”  It 
would  seem  then,  according  to  this  statement,  that  God,  or  a god,  is  not  wor- 


See  Dr.  Legge’s  Defence,  p.  8. 


REPORT. 


7 


shipped  at  all  in  China,  except  by  the  Emperor;  and  that  the  worship  of  the 
whole  body  of  his  subjects  is  addressed  to  different  sorts  of  spiritual  beings, 
whom  the  worshippers  themselves  do  not  regard  as  possessed  of  any  divinity. 
Now,  if  the  worshippers  do  not  regard  them  in  any  sense  as  gods,  then  we 
have  the  strange  anomaly  of  the  most  populous  nation  under  heaven  recognis- 
ing no  god  at  all,  and  yet  constantly  acting  towards  innumerable  other  beings 
precisely  as  all  other  heathen  people  have  uniformly  acted  towards  their 
acknowledged  gods  ! Such  an  exception  is  a priori  incredible ; and  before  it 
can  be  admitted,  ought  to  be  substantiated  on  grounds  most  manifestly  incon- 
trovertible. 

In  favour  of  the  use  of  Shin  in  preference  to  any  term  thus  far  advocated, 
your  committee  would  state,  that  a large  majority  of  the  Protestant  missiona- 
ries in  China  are  of  this  opinion.  By  late  accounts  received  from  that  coun- 
try, it  seems  that  the  proportion  of  missionaries  at  the  various  stations,  in 
favour  of  one  or  other  of  the  proposed  words,  is  as  follows : For  Shangte, 
nineteen;  for  the  transferred  term,  six;  and  for  Shin,  fifty-five.  This,  we 
think,  indicates  the  predominant  feeling  of  those  who,  being  on  the  spot,  may 
be  considered  as  best  qualified  to  form  a correct  judgment. 

In  conclusion  your  committee  remark,  that  much  reliance  must  be  placed 
on  Christian  instruction,  in  order  to  form  in  the  Chinese  mind  a true  concep- 
tion of  God,  and  thus  to  incorporate  in  the  word  Shin  a fulness  of  meaning, 
which  it  is  freely  granted  it  does  not  yet  contain,  but  which  it  is  better  capa- 
ble of  receiving  than  any  other  word  yet  proposed. 

They  recommend  therefore  the  use  of  Shin,  as  the  best  word  to  be  em- 
ployed, with  a transfer  of  the  term  Ja-ho,  for  Jehovah,  in  analogy  with  Ya-soo, 
now  in  use  for  Jesus.  Such  a course  has  already  received  the  sanction  of  the 
British  and  Foreign,  and  also  of  the  American,  Bible  Societies,  in  other  ver- 
sions which  they  have  published.  The  Indian  translation  into  the  Sioux  dia- 
lect, the  Hawaiian,  and  the  Grebo,  use  the  native  terms  for  God  and  transfer 
Jehovah ; and  there  is  reason  to  think  that  the  same  is  true  of  other  versions 
which  it  has  not  been  practicable  to  examine.  In  the  Tahitian  New  Testa- 
ment, the  native  word  is  employed  for  God,  and  Logos  is  transferred. 

As  your  committee  agree  in  recommending  the  use  of  Shin  for  God,  they 
can  do  no  otherwise  than  recommend  that  Ling  be  employed  to  denote  spirit. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted, 

Sam’l  H.  Turner, 

R.  S.  Storrs,  Jr. 

The  above  report  of  the  sub-oommittee  on  the  4th  of  December  was  laid 
before  the  Committee  on  Versions,  consisting  of  the  Rev.  Drs.  Spring,  Turner, 
Robinson,  Vermilye,  M’Clintock,  Thos.  Cock,  M.  D.,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Storrs, 
and  was  carefully  considered,  as  its  main  features  had  been  often  before. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Robinson  then  submitted  the  following  resolutions ; — 

Resolved,  That  the  report  of  the  sub-committee  on  the  proper  words  to  be 
used  in  the  Chinese  version,  for  the  ideas  of  God  and  Spirit,  in  the  Old  and 


8 


REPORT. 


New  Testaments,  be  accepted  and  adopted  as  the  Report  of  this  Committee  to 
the  Board  of  Managers. 

Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  Board  of  Managers  to  cause  the 
said  Report  to  be  printed,  and  copies  of  the  same  to  be  transmitted  to  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  as  expressing  the  general  result  to  which 
the  Board  have'  come  on  this  difficult  and  important  topic;  at  the  same  time 
respectfully  requesting  their  further  consideration  of  the  subject,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, their  concurrence  in  the  views  set  forth  in  this  Report. 

These  Resolutions,  with  the  Report,  were  then  adopted  by  the  Commit- 
tee, and  the  whole  were  unanimously  approved  by  the  Board  at  its  regular 
meeting,  5th  of  December,  1850.  i. 

» % J.  C.  Brigham,  Secretary. 

Bible  Society  House 


New  York,  Dec.  10th,  185( 


./ 


1 


